Ober Gatlinburg Is Small, But Packed With Amenities

At A Glance

Where

Ober Gatlinburg, 1001 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Ober Gatlinburg may be Tennessee's only ski area but, while small, it features all of the amenities found at larger resorts in more typical ski and snowboard states. The Smokey Mountain resort proves the point that bigger is not necessarily better.

The Smokey Snowsports School is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI). It also belongs to the Swiss Ski School, an affiliation not commonly found at resorts in the U.S.

The snow sports school offers four- and five-week programs for organized church groups, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college students for credit or non credit. The content meets or exceeds the state's requirements for physical education credit, an incentive rarely promoted by ski areas. Programs for scouts and community groups also are available.

Instructors offer lessons for children and adults not in organized groups as well. The fee is $16 per hour. Lessons run on the hour and last for about an hour.

Ober Gatlinburg stocks ski and snowboard rental equipment like most resorts. The Swiss Outdoors retail shop at the mountain also rents jackets and pants for $12 and helmets for $8. Ober Gatlinburg's eight trails are serviced by two quad and one double chairlift. Be advised that lift tickets do not include the tram ride that accesses the facility.